About Us

Accreditation

On Saturday, November 19, 1994, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). TBI received reaccreditation in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009 and is preparing for its next on-site inspection in 2012.

CALEA is the nonprofit organization that accredits law enforcement agencies internationally. Standards are developed to help law enforcement agencies achieve the following: increase agency capabilities to prevent and control crime, enhance agency effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of law enforcement services, improve cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies and other components of the criminal justice system, increase citizen and staff confidence in the goals, objectives, policies and practices of the agency. Participation in the accreditation program is voluntary.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic Services Division, comprised of a crime laboratory in Headquarters in Nashville and regional laboratories in Memphis and Knoxville, obtained international accreditation through the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) Laboratory Accreditation Board in December of 1994.

ASCLD is a nonprofit, professional society devoted to the improvement of crime laboratory operations through sound management practices. Its purpose is to foster the common professional interests of its member, to promote the development of laboratory management principles and techniques, to acquire, preserve and disseminate information related to the utilization of crime laboratories, to maintain and improve communications among crime laboratory directors, to promote and encourage and maintain the highest standards of practice in the field of crime laboratory services, and to strive for the suitable and proper accomplishment of the purposes and objectives of this professional association.